A comparison of costs for domestic and international adoptions–data from our 2012-2013 Cost & Timing of Adoption Survey.

How much did it cost to adopt a child in 2012-2013? More than 1,100 families that adopted a child in 2013 or 2012 completed our survey on the cost of adoption (before adoption-related employee benefits or the adoption tax credit). We thank everyone who took the time to share their cost details!

Domestic adoptions, on average, cost less than international adoptions.

U.S. foster adoption is the least expensive adoption route, by a significant margin.

78 percent of respondents who adopted from foster care receive an ongoing monthly subsidy. On average, these families reported receiving $707 per month.

For most adopters, the average total expenses were about $35,000.

38 percent of domestic adopters had at least one “false start,” in which adoptive parents worked with one or more birth mothers before a match that succeeded. The majority (72%) of “false starts” cost less than $5,000.

Please feel free to cite these figures, but be sure to link back and credit Adoptive Families magazine as the source.

How long does it take to adopt?See the timing data from AF‘s 2012-2013 Cost & Timing of Adoption Survey.

Average Domestic Adoption Cost

Domestic Newborn – Agency

Domestic Newborn- Independent

U.S. Foster

Homestudy Fee

$2,268

$1,785

$396

Document Preparation & Authentication

$2,636

$1,598

$0

Adoption Agency Application & Program Fees

$16,962

$3,357

$0

Legal Fees

$4,141

$12,693

$1,075

Advertising/
Networking

$2,340

$3,978

$0

Birth Family Counseling

$770

$842

$0

Birth Mother Expenses

$3,233

$5,590

$0

Foster Care

$201

$0

$0

Travel Expenses

$1,977

$2,431

$378

All Other Expenses

$5,438

$1,819

$762

TOTAL

$39,966

$34,093

$2,612

Average International Adoption Cost

China

Ethiopia

Russia

South Korea

Ukraine

Homestudy Fee

$2,952

$2,119

$3,175

$3,123

$2,225

Document Preparation & Authentication

$2,221

$2,086

$4,650

$1,654

$1,313

Adoption Agency Application & Program Fees

$8,702

$17,038

$24,620

$22,437

$8,550

In-Country Adoption Expenses

$6,123

$2,395

$11,320

$8,600

$8,531

Child’s Passport, Visa, Medical Exam, and Other Fees

$1,143

$691

$1,740

$688

$744

Post-Adoption Expenses

$1,754

$1,431

$2,558

$1,180

$1,460

Major Travel Expenses

$9,420

$11,695

$15,800

$4,949

$6,778

In-Country Travel Expenses

$2,669

$2,655

$4,667

$814

$2,800

All Other Expenses

$1,354

$5,850

$3,950

$350

$7,667

TOTAL

$36,338

$45,960

$72,480

$43,795

$40,067

Cost Distribution

Less than $1k

$1k to $5k

$5k to $10k

$10k to $20k

$20k to $30k

$30k to $40k

$40k to $50k

More than $50k

U.S. Agency

0%

1%

1%

23%

33%

25%

13%

4%

U.S. Independent

0%

4%

13%

24%

14%

25%

14%

6%

U.S. Foster

69%

18%

7%

6%

0%

0%

0%

0%

China

0%

0%

0%

1%

39%

42%

16%

2%

Ethiopia

0%

0%

0%

10%

26%

42%

19%

13%

Russia

0%

0%

0%

0%

0%

6%

50%

44%

South Korea

0%

0%

0%

0%

18%

68%

9%

5%

Ukraine

0%

0%

0%

0%

28%

29%

36%

7%

Giving Back

To gather as much data as possible, we once again posed a challenge: If more than 1,000 people who adopted in 2013 or 2012 completed our Cost & Timing of Adoption Survey, we’d select one at random and donate $300 to the adoption charity of his or her choice. We’re thrilled to report that more than 1,100 adoptive parents completed the 2012-2013 survey! The winner of our giveaway was Evelyn Hedden, of Georgia, and we were honored to contribute to Love Without Boundaries in her name. The organization funds education and medical care, arranges for foster homes, and more for orphaned and impoverished children in China.